Not Just Play

Disclaimer

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Prelude

As she sat on one of the cushy chairs that faced the picture window of this beautiful beach house, she took a moment to gaze at her husband’s sleeping form. His handsome face is half hidden by the pillows and some of his hair beautifully covers his temples. A soft smile touched her lips as she looked at the gold band on her ring finger. She did it----she really did it. She is finally, truly, Mrs. Garnet Bonner Dillard.

She was wearing a thin silk chemise underneath her gold robe that she has specifically chosen for her wedding night. She looked at her finger again---the princess cut solitaire diamond that was her engagement ring, winking at her. She thought about the long journey that had prepared them for this day-----a long stretchy journey. Garnet was never the type to go back and think about her past. But today, she is making an exception. She likes to savour it, to hold it in her heart, because this was no longer JUST make believe. She was able to snag her Mr. Right despite all the odds.

She stood up and walked towards the French doors and opened them, allowing the breeze of dawn to come inside. As the wind blows her hair, a waft of Shalimar tickled her nose. She knew she is going to get married wearing nothing but her wedding gown and Shalimar. It was a silly thing to pull off---to walk down the aisle with no underwear on. It was her dirty little secret as she walked, looking at her husband with a coy but challenging smile. When they were pronounced as husband and wife, she squeezed her husband’s hand and whispered----“I have gone commando.” The look on his face was simply priceless! Although he greeted all of their guests with enthusiasm, she actually sensed his sweet agony. Garnet even saw him shift uncomfortably in his seat. Twice.

As she rested her hands on the balcony and breathed in the morning air, she closed her eyes. She was just too happy and her soul is filled with so much joy and so much love. Just then, she felt his arm as he held her possessively on the waist. He held her tight and all of a sudden, she felt as though her heart would jump out of her. Garnet sagged against him and lovingly indulged in the feather light kisses he planted on her cheek. She felt the hardness of him against her buttocks. “How come my wife isn’t in my bed?” He teased.

Before she can even say a word, he scooped her and carried her towards the bed. He chuckled as he took in her expression. He cut her off----she hates that. Garnet narrowed her eyes but was not able to hold on to her bluff as his mouth dipped on hers...

One

Garnet paced back and forth in her room. God, how she hated her parents for doing this to her! She can’t believe that she’s actually back in the country. She was actually doing very well in the Caribbean, having her vacation, meeting new guys her age and partying. Now, it was as though she was on surveillance. She can’t go out, she can’t invite friends, and she was grounded. Grounded! A few days ago, she was in an island paradise---surrounded with turquoise water and white sand, and was clad with her bright coloured bikinis. Now, she was back in her stuffy room and back to smelling her parents’ antique filled house.

She was already 18. However, her parents treat her like she was still a kid. She sighed and muttered under her breath. “I miss
Tante
Gabrielle.”

Gabrielle Bonner was her really cool aunt and is French in every sense of the word. She’s got pixie hair, wears gold bangles, and would not wear any perfume if it is not
Guerlain
. She is chic and she can easily qualify as a modern day princess. She is the closest thing to a fairy godmother for Garnet. She is the younger sister of her father. While her father was strict and dictatorial,
Tante
Gabrielle treats her like an adult with a heart. It was no surprise that when her aunt asked her to come with her to her beach house in St. Martin, she did not even think twice. Those were the best three weeks of her life. Now, she’s doomed.

She hopped onto her bed and tossed her beloved bunny slippers away. While she loved being an only child---as she was able to bask in all the luxurious and the doting and the attention, times like this made her wish that she had a sibling. No. Not just a sibling---but a twin to take her place whenever she feels like doing something crazy. Like running away.

She closed her eyes, and for the first time since she got home, she felt how tired she was from the trip. Her leg muscles ached and her lower back was torturing her. She fell asleep.

A few hours later, she was awakened by a knock on her bedroom door. “Come in.”

“Miss Garnet, your father would like to speak to you in the library. You better go change. You know he hates waiting.” It was Randall Wells, her nanny. Yes, she’s spoiled rotten and she has a nanny at her age. Sometimes she just wants to collapse at the insanity of it all. All her friends live normal lives, are living by themselves, and enjoy dating several men. At her age, she was only able to experience a light peck on the cheek. She hates her super constricting lifestyle. Yes, she loves being able to buy anything she wants. She loves having nothing to worry about since she is the sole heiress to her parent’s vast fortune. However, she hates that she can’t even go out without a chaperone. She hates not being allowed to drive without a convoy. Most of all----she hates the antique monstrosity in this house.

Her parents both came from a family of antique collectors. Her father is French, who met her mother while on a vacation in the Pacific. Rumour has it that it was indeed love at first sight. And after a few days since they gazed on each other’s eyes, her father took her to this house in Palm Springs. His father bought the adjacent property and renovated his former house and turned it to the mansion that it is now.

Randall perused her closet and retrieved some of the dresses for her. Sometimes, it irritates Garnet that she has to dress up for trivial things like meeting with her father. She snatched an ecru satin dress and went to her dresser to get her pearls. After 20 minutes of preparation, she headed to the library with a really heavy heart.

She lightly knocked on the door and turned the golden knob.

Her father was behind a large mahogany office table reading some documents, while her mom was in one of the Victorian chairs opposite the table. This is among the very few times she had been summoned by both her parents. Her heart began to pound and the chill she felt right through her body seemed to tell her instincts to prepare for a big fight.

“Sit down, young lady”, said her father who removed his glasses so his eyes bore into hers.

She sat on the chair facing her mother and took a minute to look at her. At 49, Riva Hanoi Bonner still looks stunning. Wearing a China blue dress with her emerald cut sapphire earrings and her gold Cartier
Bathtub
time piece, she looked every inch proper yet very classy. Her shoulder length hair is styled to perfection, framing her beautiful face. Her eyes are as blue as the sapphires she wore. Riva took her cup of
Chai
tea and studied her daughter. Her long brunette hair is sleek and straight, and she has this soft fringed that emphasizes the shape of her eyes. Garnet’s eyes were as blue as a cornflower----alluring yet innocent. Her alabaster skin is smooth and has a slight flush on her cheeks. Her daughter is a woman now, and as an only child, she and her husband has to make sure that she will have a bright future ahead of her. She hated having to see Garnet’s reaction once she hears what her husband has to say. But, she has to be here for her.

“So, which law school do you have your eyes on?” Armand Bonner began.

In an instant, Garnet’s face burned. She felt the blood rise to her face. Suddenly her mouth was dry.

“Law school, you say? Father, how many times do I have to tell you? I will not take up Law. I want to study Design and work for
Tante
Gabrielle. Please, do not push this issue any further. I beg you.”

“You listen to me, Garnet. You are my only daughter and it is your responsibility to live up to our name. You have no place in design. Goodness, you do not even know one antique paperweight from another. You will do as I say.”

“Mother, please. Will you help me out on this? You know this is not what I want! Why can’t he let me do what I want with my own life?” She said in a shrill voice.

Riva looked at her daughter and held her hand. “Garnet, you know your father means well. Please listen to him. You are our only child and we only want what’s best for you.”

“But mother! You heard me. I don’t want to take up Law. I cannot even defend my own case. How could you possibly believe that I have a future there? I will do anything----anything. Just don’t let me do something I do not have a heart for.”

Her father looked at her as he removed his glasses. “You really can be too stubborn sometimes, child.” He let out some air and loosened his tie. “Since I cannot convince you to become a lawyer, then you might as well marry someone who is a lawyer. If I cannot drag you to law school, Garnet, I would have to drag you to the altar and marry someone who can give you a bright future. “Go upstairs and sleep. We will talk again tomorrow.”

“Marry someone? What was that nonsense you just said, Father?” And then, it dawned on her. She laughed hollowly and glared at her father. “You wouldn’t dare. You wouldn’t dare!” By then, her throat started to constrict and her eyes began to blur. Hot tears gathered in her eyes and fell down on her cheeks. Shame and frustration mixed in her insides and she stood up quickly.

She rushed to the door and fled away from the library, running to seek the refuge of her room. The moment she got in, she banged the door. She sagged to the floor and poured her heart out. She felt as though her whole world has crumbled.

Her tears fell nonstop as she thought of her seemingly hopeless case. Either way, she is damned and she needed to be with someone right now. She thought about her aunt and considered asking her to turn her father around. However, her
Tante
Gabrielle has enough problems of her own right now----what with the renovations being done in St. Martin. For one moment there, she thought about running away, about fulfilling her dream of living all by herself. But then, she remembered how her father had cut all her accounts when she extended her stay in the Caribbean. If not for her aunt, she would not be able to shop in all her favourite boutiques and buy all the tokens she brought with her.

That night, she called one of her dearest friends, Amanda Carson. She spent the entire night crying over the phone. Amanda is their former neighbour and is among her earliest friends. They moved to Sun Town about a year ago and she missed her terribly.